444 



SDLHPATES SULPHUP 



Sully's Mcmoires des sayc* et royales Economies 

 d'Etat, Junu'stii/ues, politiques, et milittiirca </<. Henri 

 le Grand, was printed at Sully, under the eye of 

 the author, in !(>.'}( 5. The second and third volumes 

 did not appear till 1662. There have been many 

 re-impressions, some of which have been mutilated 

 by other hands. These memoirs give us a vivid 

 and accurate picture of the courts of Charles IX., 

 Hi-iiry III., and Henry IV., and particularly of the 

 character, habits, public policy, and private life of 

 the latter monarch. 



SULPHATE. For the various sulphates, see 

 the respective articles. 



SULPHUR. We shall first give the mineralo- 

 gical history of this substance. It occurs abun- 

 dantly in nature, both crystallized and massive. 

 The form of its crystals is an acute octahedron, 

 either perfect, or variously modified, and derivable 

 from an octahedron with equal and similar scalene 

 triangular planes, of which the common base of the 

 two pyramids is rhombic ; cleavage imperfect ; frac- 

 ture conchoidal ; lustre resinous ; colour several 

 shades of sulphur-yellow, inclining sometimes to 

 red or green; streak sulphur-yellow, passing into 

 white ; transparent or translucent ; sectile ; hard- 

 ness between gypsum and calcareous spar ; specific 

 gravity 2-072. The massive varieties occur in im- 

 bedded globules, also in large pieces, having a 

 granular or impalpable composition, and an uneven 

 or flat conchoidal fracture. The present species 

 has -usually been treated of under two divisions, 

 viz. common and volcanic sulphur, in allusion to the 

 geological situation of the two varieties ; the vol- 

 canic sulphur being a product of sublimation, while 

 the common sulphur is found in strata not imme- 

 diately connected with volcanic rocks. Volcanic 

 sulphur appears in the shape of crusts, superficial 

 coatings, stalactites, or loose, mealy masses, and con- 

 sists generally of columnar particles of composition, 

 not unfrequently terminating in crystalline points. 

 Common sulphur has been further divided into 

 compact and earthy, the last of which comprehends 

 those varieties which, on account, of the smallness 

 of the individuals in the granular compositions, ap- 

 pear as a friable, mealy powder. Sulphur is prin- 

 cipally met with in beds of gypsum, or in the 

 accompanying strata of clay. It is generally asso- 

 ciated with sulphate of strontian. It also occurs 

 with copper pyrites, galena, and orpiment. It is 

 deposited from several springs, and in large quanti- 

 ties from volcanoes. In Sicily, and several pro- 

 vinces of Italy, sulphur is found in splendid crystals, 

 as well as in globular concretions. It occurs in 

 imbedded spheroidal masses of a brown colour, 

 which is owing to bitumen, at Radoboy, near 

 Crapina, in Croatia. The finest crystals, after 

 those of Sicily, are brought from Conil, near Cadiz, 

 in Spain. It occurs in veins in Suabia, Spain, and 

 Transylvania. The earthy sulphur is found in 

 Poland, in Moravia, and other countries ; the vol- 

 canic sulphur in Iceland, near Vesuvius in the Sol- 

 fatara, in fine crystals in Teneriffe, in great profu- 

 sion near the volcanoes of Java, and in the vicinity 

 of most other active volcanoes. In general, it re- 

 quires to be purified, either by melting or by subli- 

 mation, in order to render it fit for use in the arts. 



Sulphur, in a state of purity, is destitute of odour, 

 and of a weak, though perceptible taste. It is a 

 non-conductor of electricity, and of course becomes 

 electric by friction. The specific gravity of roll 

 sulphur varies from 1-97 to 2-00. It undergoes no 

 change from exposure to the air, and is insoluble in 



water. If a considerable piece of sulphur be ex- 

 posed to a sudden, though gentle heat, by holding 

 it in the hand, for instance, it breaks to pieces with 

 a crackling noise. When heated to the temperature 

 of about 170, it rises up in the form of a line 

 powder, which may be easily collected in a proper 

 vessel. This powder is called flowers of sulphur. 

 When heated to the temperature of 218 U , it melts, 

 and becomes as liquid as water. Between the 

 melting point and 252, it is as liquid as varnish, 

 and its colour is that of amber. About the tem- 

 perature of 340, it begins to grow thick, and 

 assumes a reddish tinge ; and if we continue to in- 

 crease the temperature, it becomes so thick, that 

 the vessel containing it may be turned upside 

 down without the risk of spilling any of it. Be- 

 tween the temperature of 428, and that of 482, 

 it is thickest of all, and its colour is reddish-brown, 

 From 482 to its boiling point, which is not far 

 from 750, it becomes thinner, but never so thin as 

 it was when below the temperature of 248; and 

 its reddish-brown colour does not alter. If it be 

 suddenly cooled while in the most liquid state, as 

 by throwing it into water, it becomes instantly 

 brittle ; but if it was so hot as to be viscid, and be 

 suddenly cooled, it remains quite soft ; so that it 

 may be drawn into threads. In the first case, it 

 crystallizes; in the second, it does not. This state 

 of softness is probably connected with the viscidi- 

 ty; which, when the cold is suddenly applied, pre- 

 vents the possibility of the particles arranging them- 

 selves in regular order. If sulphur be melted in a 

 ladle, or oval vessel, and, as soon as its surface be- 

 gins to congeal, the liquid portion beneath the sur- 

 face be poured out, the internal cavity will exhibit 

 long, needle-shaped crystals. Alcohol, sulphuric 

 ether and the oils dissolve a small portion of sul- 

 phur. It combines in five proportions with oxy- 

 gen, and forms five compounds, which have received 

 the names of sulphuric acid, sulphurous acid, hypo- 

 sulphurous acid, subsulphurous acid, and hyposul- 

 phuric acid. We shall describe the sulphurous acid 

 first. It is formed when sulphur is burnt, either 

 in the open air or in oxygen gas. But the way in 

 which it is usually obtained for experiment, is to heat 

 a mixture of sulphuric acid and mercury in a small 

 retort; a gas is evolved, which is sulphurous acid. 

 It is colourless, is possessed of an exceedingly suf- 

 focating and disagreeable smell, precisely similar to 

 that of burning sulphur. Its taste is intensely acid 

 and sulphureous. It converts vegetable blues 

 to red, and then gradually destroys them. Its 

 specific gravity is 2-2293. The gas may be collec- 

 ted over mercury, or received into water, which, at 

 the temperature of 61, will absorb thirty-three 

 times its bulk, or nearly an eleventh of its weight. 

 It consists of sulphur 50 and oxygen 50. It is 

 used in bleaching, particularly for silks: it likewise 

 discharges vegetable stains and iron moulds from 

 linen. In combination with the salifiable bases, it 

 forms sulphites, which differ from the sulphates in 

 their properties. The alkaline sulphites are more 

 soluble than the sulphates; the earthy, less so. 

 They are converted into sulphates by an addition 

 of oxygen, which they acquire even by exposure to 

 the air. By putting sulphuric acid and mercury 

 into the sealed end of a recurved glass tube, then 

 sealing the other end, and applying heat to the for- 

 mer, a liquid sulphurous acid may be obtained: it 

 remains in a liquid state in the air at Fahr. : it 

 is colourless, transparent, and very volatile; spe- 

 cific gravity 1-45. It boils at 14; but, in conse- 





